LeanSpec Desktop

Native SPA Mode - Lightweight Tauri v2 app with Rust backend and React frontend

Overview

LeanSpec Desktop provides a native application for local multi-project management. Built with Tauri v2, it features a frameless window, menu bar, system tray, notifications, and global shortcuts.

Architecture

Pure Native (Spec 169 - December 2025):

• 🦀 Rust backend - All spec operations in native code
• ⚛️ React SPA - Client-side routing with React Router
• 📦 26 MB bundle - 83% smaller than previous version
• ⚡ <1s startup - No Node.js server to spawn
• 💾 50-100 MB RAM - Native memory efficiency

Key Benefits:

• No Node.js runtime required
• Faster startup and operations
• Smaller download size
• Better battery life
• True native feel

📚 Documentation:

• Architecture Overview - System design and components
• Migration Guide - For contributors working with the new architecture

Prerequisites

Linux: Install system dependencies before building:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y \
  libgtk-3-dev \
  libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
  libsoup-3.0-dev \
  libjavascriptcoregtk-4.1-dev \
  webkit2gtk-4.1-dev

macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools

xcode-select --install

Windows: Visual Studio Build Tools with C++ desktop development workload

Local development

pnpm install
pnpm dev:desktop

• tauri dev targets the Vite dev server on port 1420
• The React SPA is served directly (no Node.js server needed)
• Hot reload works for both frontend and backend changes
• Shortcuts: CommandOrControl+Shift+L toggles window; CommandOrControl+Shift+M opens project manager

Packaging

pnpm build:desktop

tauri build will:

1. Build the React SPA frontend with Vite to dist/
2. Compile the Rust backend in release mode
3. Produce platform-specific bundles in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/:
   • macOS: .dmg installer in bundle/macos/
   • Linux: .deb package in bundle/deb/
   • Windows: .nsis installer in bundle/nsis/

Bundle Size: ~26 MB (including all assets and runtime)

End-User Requirements

✅ No Node.js required! The app is now fully self-contained.

Users only need:

• macOS: macOS 11.0+ (Big Sur or later)
• Linux: GTK 3.24+ (included in most modern distros)
• Windows: Windows 10/11 with WebView2 (auto-installed)

See Prerequisites section above for build-time system dependencies.

Capabilities and permissions

The Tauri v2 permission model is defined in src-tauri/capabilities/desktop-main.json. It grants access to core window controls plus log, dialog, notification, opener, global-shortcut, window-state, and updater plugins. Adjust this file (or add new capability files) instead of editing the tauri.conf.json allowlist fields.

Configuration files

• ~/.lean-spec/desktop.json — Desktop app configuration (window size, shortcuts, theme, etc.)
• ~/.lean-spec/projects.json — Project registry

These config files are automatically created on first launch and updated as you add/remove projects.

Features

• ✨ Native Performance - Rust backend, 90% faster than Node.js
• 🎨 Modern UI - React SPA with dark theme
• 🖼️ Frameless Window - Custom title bar and window controls
• 🍎 Native Menus - OS menu bar with keyboard shortcuts
• 📂 Project Manager - Switch between multiple LeanSpec projects
• 🔍 Full-Text Search - Fast spec searching across all projects
• 📊 Analytics Dashboard - Project stats and velocity tracking
• 🔗 Dependency Graphs - Visualize spec relationships
• 🔔 Notifications - Desktop notifications for updates
• 🌐 System Tray - Quick access from menu bar
• ⌨️ Global Shortcuts - Control app from anywhere
• 🔄 Auto-Updates - Built-in update mechanism

Tauri Commands

The app exposes rich IPC commands for:

• Project management (add, remove, switch, rename)
• Spec operations (list, read, search, validate)
• Dependency analysis and graph generation
• Statistics and analytics
• File system operations

See ARCHITECTURE.md for complete API documentation.